A man who went missing from Fallbrook this week has been found in a Mission Hills hospital in the San Fernando Valley the San Diego Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

John Tully Macintyre, 41, was listed as a missing person at risk on Monday.

There is no information on his condition, but he is receiving medical care.

Macintyre suffers from emotional and physical issues the Sheriff’s Department said at the time.

His cell phone was turned off while he was missing. There is no information about why he was in the Los Angeles area or how he ended up at the hospital.

Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz will hold a rally in San Diego on Monday ahead of California’s June 7 primary.

While the GOP nomination is usually decided well before the Golden State votes, California’s 172 delegates will play an important role to see if any candidate can reach the required 1,237 delegates to clinch the nomination without a contested convention.

Senator Cruz’s rally will be held at the Town and Country Resort at 500 Hotel Circle North.

The rally is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Reservations for the rally are at capacity according to the website, but people interested in attending can add their names to the waitlist.

The Texas senator will be competing against businessman Donald Trump and Ohio Governor John Kasich for California’s plethora of delegates, which are allocated mostly by congressional district.

According to the latest poll, from the Field Corporation of California, Trump leads Cruz by 7%, 39% to 32%. John Kasich has 18% support.

A Bridgeport Hospital employee has been charged with sexually assaulting four men and secretly taking thousands of photographs at the hospital's nursing school, according to police.

Barry Barkinsky, 62, was teaching at the hospital's nursing school as the emergency manager and EMS coordinator before the investigation began. Barkinsky, of Stamford, faces four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and 10 counts of voyeurism. 

A 22-year-old Bridgeport man who was enrolled in the emergency medical technician course that Barkinsky instructed told police last December he had been sexually assaulted, authorities said.

The victim said in 2013, Barkinsky offered to help the man with his back troubles by giving him weekly chiropractic treatments at the nursing school. Barkinsky would examine and touch the man's genitals as the victim lied on a table, police said.

At first, the victim thought the procedure was "unorthodox" but didn't question Barkinsky, according to police.

As the treatments continued, the victim would hear camera shutter noises and eventually caught Barkinsky snapping photos of him while he lie naked, authorities said. The victim was able to take pictures of Barkinsky taking photographs during the unauthorized back procedures, according to police.

Barkinsky would secretly photograph naked men lying down, police said. Barkinsky had allegedly convinced the men to allow him to perform unauthorized procedures on them.

When Bridgeport police confronted Barkinsky, he turned over 2,181 photographs he had secretly taken of at least a dozen naked men, according to police.

According to police, Barkinsky also admitted the men had been given enema procedures — some which were not consensual.

Police found various paddles used for sexual fetishes and several medical supplies, like enema equipment, mounted in Barkinsky's apartment.

The hospital said Barkinsky did not interact with patients.

"The employee, who did not work in any patient care areas, is no longer with the hospital. The Hospital had no knowledge of any of the activities alleged in the arrest warrant and, such alleged activity, if proven to be true, is an absolutely inexcusable violation of trust and inconsistent with the values of our organization," Bridgeport Hospital said in a statement.

It is not clear if Barkinsky has an attorney.

A mountain lion sighting was reported near California State University San Marcos according to the campus police. They could not, however, confirm an animal was actually seen.

The animal was reported in the hills behind the Center for Children and Families Friday afternoon.

Campus Police urged people on campus to ‘take extra caution’ especially early in the morning or late at night.

University Police have notified the California Department of Fish and Game.

If someone sees a mountain lion near campus they should call the University Police at 760-750-4567. 

People should not approach the animal, and if someone is approached by the animal they should not run as that may trigger the animal’s instinct to chase.

It is recommended to ‘make yourself appear as large as possible, keep intense eye contact, wave your arms and make noise.’

Two cars and two trucks crashed at the intersection of El Camino Real and Cannon Road in Carlsbad, Carlsbad police confirmed. The crash happened around 4:36 p.m. Friday. 

Officers responded to the scene and found that a 1999 Honda Civic driven by a 37-year-old woman had collided with three other vehicles. City of Carlsbad Fire Department personnel responded and provided medical treatment. 

One of the drivers was transported via helicopter to Scripps La Jolla and one other was transported by ambulance to Palomar Hospital where they were treated for their injuries. One of the injuries is possibly life-threatening.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the Honda was driving westbound on Cannon Road. 

Two other vehicles, a Dodge Ram and Chevrolet Corvette, were travelling northbound on El Camino Real when the Honda entered the intersection and collided with the Dodge Ram and Chevrolet Corvette. 

The Honda and the Dodge Ram then travelled west where the Honda collided with a Chevrolet Silverado pickup that was stopped in the southbound El Camino Real turn lane waiting to turn eastbound onto Cannon Road. 

The collision is currently under investigation with the Carlsbad Police Department’s Traffic Division.

A San Diego woman pleaded guilty to a slew of charges connected to a hit-and-run crash in Pacific Beach in February that injured a jogger.

Amanda Brodd, 26, was in court Friday and admitted to driving under the influence and felony child endangerment as well as driving on a suspended license and resisting arrest.

Brodd’s blood alcohol level was over .15 on February 15 when her vehicle struck a jogger at Crown Point Drive and Sequoia Street.

Her 3-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car at the time of the crash. The child was not injured.

The jogger was treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Brodd changed her plea to guilty as part of an agreement with a stipulated sentence of five years in prison, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Formal sentencing is scheduled for June 1.

An accused killer who escaped from a Washington state psychiatric hospital earlier this week was arrested Friday, according to a tweet from officials, NBC News reports.

Anthony Garver, 28, was one of two patients who escaped from the Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Washington on Wednesday night. The other escapee, Mark Alexander Adams, was taken into custody on Thursday.

"Both escaped inmates from Western State Hospital are in custody," Todd Bartolac, a state police spokesman announced on Twitter just before 9 p.m. local time on Friday.

Police had referred to Garver as "scary and dangerous." He was committed to the psychiatric hospital two years ago when he was deemed not competent to stand trial after being accused of fatally stabbing a woman two dozen times.

Federal prosecutors confirmed for the first time Friday, allegations that former House Speaker Dennis Hastert paid hush money to cover up the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old student decades ago. And they alleged numerous other sexual encounters, involving young men who had once wrestled on teams Hastert coached in the seventies.

“These known acts consist of the defendant’s intentional touching of minors’ groin area and genitals or oral sex with a minor,” they wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed Friday evening. “The actions at the core of this case took place not on the defendant’s national stage, but in his private one-on-one encounters in an empty locker room and a motel room with minors, that violated the special trust between those young boys and their coach.”

Prosecutors said Hastert had aroused the suspicion of his banks with large cash withdrawals in early 2012. When confronted by bank officials, Hastert gave conflicting reasons, including a contention that he collected vintage cars and needed the cash for purchases. But after bank officials informed Hastert that they were going to close his accounts due to the unusual withdrawals, the matter eventually came to the attention of the FBI.

“Law enforcement was concerned that defendant’s large and unusual cash withdrawals could be indicative of other criminal activity of which (Hastert) was either a perpetrator or the victim,” they wrote. “By December 2014…defendant had withdrawn a total of $1.7 million in cash in approximately four and a half years.”

When they approached him that month, FBI agents said Hastert told them he was withdrawing the money because he “did not think the banks were safe.” But shortly after that, defense lawyers contacted the government and said the former Speaker had been the victim of an extortion plot, involving a false claim made by a former student identified as Individual A.

Hastert agreed to record conversations with Individual A. But during the course of those conversations, the FBI said the stories did not seem to add up, and that Individual A did not speak as a person who was extorting the former Speaker at all.

In March of 2015, agents confronted Individual A directly, and he quickly described an incident where he said it was he who had been a victim.

The incident in question occurred on a school wrestling trip, where Haster, then the Yorkville coach, allegedly insisted that the boy stay in his hotel room.

“Defendant told Individual A to lie down on the bed and take off his underwear,” prosecutors wrote. “Defendant than began massaging Individual A’s groin area. It became clear to Individual A that defendant was not touching him in a therapeutic manner to address a wrestling injury, but was touching him in a sexually inappropriate way.”

The boy, now a young man, told agents that he slept in the same bed with Hastert that night, but that he refused to stay in his room the following evening.

He admitted, agents said, that when he approached Hastert in 2010, he demanded $3.5 million “for what defendant had done to him.” The first payment was made at Hastert’s Yorkville office, he said, with other $50,000 payments occurring every few months in the parking lot of a Yorkville store. Later, they changed that arrangement to payments of $100,000 every three months.

The government filing speaks of other young men who were allegedly abused by Hastert. One, identified as Individual B, said Hastert performed a sex act on him in a locker room at Yorkville High School when he was just 14 years old. Another, identified as Individual D, said Hastert put a “Lazyboy”-type chair in direct view of the shower stalls where he sat while the boys showered. The boy said Hastert performed a sex act on him, when he was 17.

Another, identified as Individual C, says Hastert brushed his genitals during a massage.

The document also quotes a woman named Jolene Burdge, who says her late brother, Stephen Reinboldt, told her that Hastert had sexually abused him throughout his high school years from 1967 to 1971.

“Burdge asked her brother why he never told anyone about the abuse during high school,” prosecutors wrote. “Reinboldt said that he had no one to turn to, and did not think anyone would believe him.”

The government noted that Hastert made a decision to run for public office in October of 1979, and that his sexual abuse of boys on his team was still occurring at the time he made the decision to enter public life.

“Defendant spent years violating banking laws of which he was fully aware in order to keep secret his sexual abuse of wrestling team members,” the filing states. “Defendant’s history and characteristics are marred by stunning hypocrisy.”

Prosecutors agreed with the defense, that the guideline range for Hastert’s financial offenses called for a sentence of between zero and six months. But they urged the judge to take into account the gravity of his crimes, and to send a message that a wealthy and powerful person who held high office is subject to the same penalties as an ordinary citizen.

“He made (the victims) feel alone, ashamed, guilty, and devoid of dignity,” they wrote. “It is profoundly sad that one of their earliest sexual experiences was in the form of abuse by a man whom they trusted, and whom they revered as a mentor and coach.”

The controversial attorney who authored the so-called “Citizens Plan” initiative to restructure the city’s hotel room taxes has scheduled a Monday meeting with the Chargers to game-plan for the November election.

Cory Briggs hopes the team, which has published its own initiative for a downtown stadium and convention facility, can help generate critical mass for the success of both measures.

But he tells NBC 7 that right now he has “zero” optimism for the prospect of getting city leaders off the fence to throw their support behind the Citizens Plan – or at least engage in substantive discussions.

“The reality is, the politicians are abdicating their responsibility to their constituents,” Briggs said in an interview Friday.

“At the end of the day, they can’t do anything while they’re in election mode. They’re not in governance mode. Right now it’s all about politics.”

Briggs is no more a babe in the woods of political machinations than he is unschooled in courtroom warfare.

He’s earned the ire of municipal attorneys across California by lodging numerous lawsuits that cost taxpayers plenty – whether or not he prevails.

While the Chargers’ initiative might seem to be on a parallel track with Briggs’ brainchild, there are key differences in the tax hike numbers and endgame objectives.

The Briggs approach is backed by former Councilwoman Donna Frye, a proponent of public parklands and restoration of the San Diego River along the Qualcomm Stadium site in Mission Valley.

Major funding for the signature-gathering campaign is coming from JMI Inc., which envisions developing a satellite campus of San Diego State University on the site – if and when the Chargers vacate ‘The Q’.

The Bolts’ scheme is laser-focused on downtown’s East Village, where JMI reigns as the district’s leading landowner – and is looking to build a 1,600-room convention hotel between Petco Park and the Chargers’ proposed “convadium”.

Competing tax hike measures might confound voters who also will consider a SANDAG regional transportation tax increase, along with several other ballot propositions.

Two city councilmembers and a council candidate have come out against what the team is proposing, and Briggs’ plan faces an undercurrent of opposition from the hotel industry.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer is reserving judgment on both measures, pending further review.

So Monday’s meeting of the minds among Briggs, his supporters and the Chargers’ brain trust could be an opportunity for strategizing how to overcome inertia at City Hall and beyond.

They might find common ground to refine their approaches and frame narratives for maximum political appeal.

But it’s hard to see how the two measures could be merged.

And given Briggs’ tenacity, it doesn’t seem likely he’d fold his hand after coming this far.

The Chargers have said they plan to invest upwards of $10 million in their ballot campaign, expected to begin in two weeks with efforts to gather petition signatures from registered voters.

Could ten million bucks be better spent down the road, with the team stepping aside to see how Briggs’ plan fares – and if it passes, tailgate on it?

Or if the plan fails, could the stadium game plan be salvaged by trying to skin the cat another way, in a special election in 2017?

It would be intriguing to learn whether those questions are broached Monday.

For their part, Citizens Plan organizers report they’re closing in on the 90,000 signatures needed later this month to qualify it for November’s ballot.

Meantime, mayoral candidate Ed Harris is taking direct aim at the incumbent’s low-profile stance.

“Where’s Kevin?” Harris said in a campaign statement issued Friday. “He has not shown an ounce of leadership on the Chargers, SDSU expansion and Convention Center issues.”

Brenda Delgado, the woman added this week to the FBI's list of "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" for her role in the murder of a Dallas dentist, has been arrested in Mexico, authorities say.

Delgado, 33, was captured Friday in the city of Torreon, in north-central Mexico, according to the office of the Mexico attorney general.

The FBI confirmed the arrest late Friday, saying Delgado was arrested without incident by agents of Mexico's Criminal Investigations Agency.

Delgado will be transferred to Mexico City, where she will be detained pending proceedings for extradition to North Texas.

She was indicted for capital murder last fall in the death of Dr. Kendra Hatcher, a 35-year-old dentist found dead in the parking garage of her apartment complex on Sept. 2.

A reward of up to $100,000 was being offered for any information leading directly to Delgado's arrest.

Investigators believe Delgado, who allegedly dated Hatcher's boyfriend, planned Hatcher's murder and hired people to carry it out. Crystal Cortes and Kristopher Love are in prison for their involvement in Hatcher's murder.

"It is believed she was jealous because the victim was dating Delgado's ex-boyfriend and had recently been introduced to his parents," the FBI wrote on its wanted poster for Delgado.

"The FBI is extremely appreciative of our law enforcement partners in Mexico, as well as our local, state and federal partners, for their tremendous cooperation and collaboration in the capture of Top Ten Fugitive Brenda Delgado," said Thomas M. Class Sr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Dallas Field Office, in a statement Friday.

Delgado, born Brenda Berenice Delgado Reynaga, is the second North Texan on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list. Yaser Abdel Said of Irving has been on the run since 2008, after being accused of murdering his two teenage daughters. He was added to the list in 2014.

Refresh this article for updates on this developing story.

It took the San Diego Fire Department an hour to get a boy's feet out of the escalator at Macy's in Mission Valley Center SDFD Capt. Amador confirmed. 

The incident happened around 7 p.m. Friday night. 

Officials said it was a typical rescue and the boy has no serious injuries. 

He was transported to the Children's Hospital. 

The boy was wearing rubber rain boots, which may have played a role in getting his feet stuck. The boots likely kept the boy's injuries from being more severe authorities said. 

The extent of the boy's injuries is unclear.

A sixth person has been detained over suspected links to the March 22 Brussels bombings, one day after a series of raids netted five arrests, including the last known fugitive of last year's Paris attacks, NBC News reported.

A spokesman for Belgium's federal prosecutor's office says the person is under arrest but has refused to give any further details ahead of an official announcement due later Saturday. 

An apartment complex with a shop on the ground floor in the Brussels suburb of Etterbeek, was cordoned off by police and forensics experts were seen entering the building.

The series of arrests marks a big potential break in the Paris investigation and the search for those responsible for the Brussels bombings in which 32 people were killed.

Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are battling for 14 pledged delgates in Wyoming at the state's county caucuses Saturday, NBC News reported.

The Vermont senator is fresh off a string of recent wins and looking to continue chipping away at Clinton's sizeable lead in the number of delegates needed to secure the party's nomination.

Sanders performs well in states that hold caucuses rather than primaries, in part because the former typically highlights a higher level of engagement by progressive activists. If Clinton falls short in Wyoming, she will have lost seven of the last eight nominating contests.

Both candidates are also now fully engaged in barnstorming New York, where a huge pool of 247 pledged delegates are up for grabs in the state's primary on April 19.

AleSmith Brewing Company is tapping the talents of brew enthusiasts, asking fans to submit artwork that could land on a batch of beer bottles.

For the first time ever, AleSmith is holding a contest calling for artists to make their mark on the company’s hoppy, crimson seasonal beer, Evil Dead Red Ale, which has been brewed every fall since 1998.

Starting Friday, AleSmith will accept submissions of art created by fans. Ultimately, one design will be chosen to be included on the 22-ounce bottle of this year’s batch of Evil Dead Red Ale. The winning artist’s name and signature will also be included on the bottles.

The contest runs through May 9, and the winning entry and artist will be announced during American Craft Beer Week, which runs May 16 through May 22.

AleSmith Marketing Manager Brandon Hernandez says entries should be submitted via email to creative@alesmith.com. Designs must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• All entries must be produced using Adobe Illustrator and submitted in an Adobe PDF file no larger than 3MB

• All entries must fit on the front of the bottle in an area 3 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall.

• All entries must include the beer name “Evil Dead Red Ale” or “Evil Dead Red”

• All entries must consist of exactly two (2) colors matching the beer’s existing red-and-gray color scheme

• All entries must be free of inappropriate language, vulgarity or unsavory imagery 

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Currently the Evil Dead Red bottle label boasts a zombie motif. Hernandez says the ale is known for its "eerie" vibe, so fan artwork should follow suit.

"With zombies and walkers being so en vogue these days, we expect to be overrun with stunning, bottle-worthy submissions like delectably plump survivors of the apocalypse cornered by a mob of flesh-seeking, reanimated corpses,” he said. "We’ve shared our art for brewing with fans for 20 years, so it’s exciting to turn the tables and allow AleSmith enthusiasts to share their art with us."

Artists can submit as many entries as they would like. The contest rules state that by submitting their work, participants acknowledge their design becomes the property of AleSmith.

The winning artist will receive a case of Evil Dead Red Ale, as well as brew bragging rights.

AleSmith Brewing Company was founded in 1995 and celebrated its 20th anniversary in production last year by opening a new, upgraded brewery and tasting room in Miramar, located at 9990 AleSmith Ct. – formerly known as Empire Street. The 105,500-square-foot brewery boasts an 80-barrel brewing system with the capability to pump out more than 100,000 barrels of brew per year.

The company is currently working to build an official Tony Gwynn Museum at the facility, too, which will pay tribute to the late, beloved Mr. Padre.

Earlier this year, the ratings website RateBeer.com, dubbed AleSmith Brewing Company among the top 10 breweries around the world, ranking it No. 2.

The woman accused of crashing her car into a vintage Porsche on Easter Sunday, killing one person and seriously injuring another was ordered to be held on $3 million bail Friday.

Hyun Jeong Choi, 33, faces three felony charges including murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI under the influence of drugs causing injury.

Amanda Walzer, 43, died in the collision that happened March 27 at 5:30 p.m. on Pomerado Road between Caminito Alto and Sycamore Test Road.

Investigators said Choi veered out of the eastbound lane into the left turn lane before driving over the raised median into oncoming traffic.

Walzer was riding in a 1956 Porsche that has only lap seat belts and no airbags. The man driving the Porsche suffered serious injuries, according to San Diego Police investigators.

Choi pleaded not guilty when arraigned Friday. She faces a maximum of 22 years to life if convicted of all three charges. 

A former Uber driver accused of raping a passenger in February came on to the woman as she was vomiting in the backseat of his car, court records obtained Friday show.

John David Sanchez, 52, was arrested March 29 on suspicion of raping an intoxicated person. He has been arraigned and has pleaded not guilty to the felony charges.

Uber issued a statement the day of his arrest that Sanchez was terminated “immediately” after the allegations surfaced and has not been providing rides to patrons.

A search warrant affidavit obtained by NBC 7 provides disturbing details in the alleged rape.

Police said the night of Feb. 25, the woman was on a date with a man she met on an online dating site. The two were at The Office bar, a popular North Park bar in uptown San Diego, until about 2 a.m.

The woman’s date then hailed an Uber ride, as she was too intoxicated to drive home to El Cajon, according to court records.

As the driver, later identified as Sanchez, took her home on the freeway, the victim told him she needed to vomit, so he pulled over his Toyota Scion, police said in court records.

As the woman vomited, the man attempted to console her and then started touching her leg, according to court documents.

After getting back in the driver’s seat, he continued on until he was about a block away from the woman’s home in El Cajon.

The woman “opened the door and began dry heaving … the driver again moved to the backseat and again tried consoling her,” according to court records.

That’s when police said the driver raped the woman, telling her: “you want this.”

Police said the woman then got out of the car and walked the rest of the way home, calling El Cajon investigators several hours later.

The woman’s date said he received a notification on his cellphone that the ride had been completed about 30 minutes later and it had charged his Uber account.

Police investigating the case interviewed the woman, who told them her driver’s name was John and he drove a Scion; police obtained Uber records and identified the driver as John Sanchez, according to court documents.

While police investigators initially believed there could be additional victims, they said this week that no other women have come forward.

Sanchez is no longer in the custody of the San Diego County Jail. He has a preliminary hearing on June 21.

He has no criminal record.

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing a home under fumigation in Lakeside, sheriff’s deputies said. Meanwhile, investigators are looking into a series of burglaries targeting homes being sprayed for pests.

Jason Depew was arrested Friday following the most recent burglary at 9548 Farmington Drive in Lakeside after sheriff’s deputies had responded to a report of a burglary in progress.

The employee of a termite fumigation company reported arriving at the home to remove a fumigation tent when he came across a man inside the home, sheriff’s deputies said.

The suspect ran out of the home, but the fumigation employee followed him in his work truck and called deputies.

Deputies spotted the suspect at the nearby intersection of Lemon Crest Drive and Orange Crest Drive.

The family who lives at the home told NBC 7 that the burglar ransacked the place.

Homeowner Karli Knaust said the suspect left his clothes in their 3-year-old daughter's room and helped himself to her husband's clothes.

"Everything's a disaster in there," Knaust said. "He even used the bathroom. He left it and didn't flush. He's gross. There's a drug needle on the floor. matchbooks everywhere."

Depew was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and booked in the San Diego County Jail.

Investigators say they have only linked Depew to the most recent burglary of a fumigated home.

The string of other burglaries in the East County area over the past several months are still under investigation.

The San Diego man who attacked women in a crime spree that gripped the community of North Park in 2014 cried in court Friday as he asked for forgiveness.

"I had a lot of pain bottled up inside me," David Angelo Drake II said as he accepted responsibility for the violent attacks on public streets and sidewalks between April and August 2014. In some cases, the women never saw him before he knocked them unconscious from behind.  

He was arrested after a police officer's wife saw something unique about the suspect in surveillance video.

DNA and fingerprint evidence then linked him to the crime scenes. 

Drake pleaded guilty to all seven attacks and sexual assaults and, as part of a plea agreement, he will spend 57 years to life in prison. 

In court, he cried as he apologized to his victims and his family. 

"In no way am I attempting to justify my actions against seven innocent women. What I did was wrong," he added.

As part of the sentencing, victims were offered the opportunity to speak.

Prosecutors read a letter from one woman who now lives outside of San Diego.

She told the court she was "knocked senseless" in an attack that has left her with panic attacks and a high level of anxiety.

"What you did to me changed the course of my life but I have taken this senseless, violent attack and used this as an opportunity to transform myself and my life for the better," the woman wrote.

Another victim appeared in person and recalled the heartache of having her now deceased mother fear for her safety after the sexual assault. 

"I’m lucky that you beat my head in hard enough that I don’t remember it," she told Drake.

She described living with nightmares, migraines, panic attacks and hallucinations.

"I’m so glad I pushed through the pain you brought upon me," she said. "I’m thriving despite what you did to me."

Outside court, defense attorney Dan Greene said his client had been facing 114 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts.

However, Judge Melinda Lasater sentenced Drake to approximately 57 years to life in prison for the crime spree she said was "atrocious."

Lasater noted an overwhelming amount of family support for the defendant.

Greene said his client suffers from mental illness but did not go into specifics as to a diagnosis. 

"Mental illness takes many shapes and forms," Greene said. "There's a reason why an otherwise loving, caring family member with no criminal record participated in these offenses." 

Eater San Diego shares the top stories of the week from San Diego’s food and drink scene, including rumors of a Shake Shack landing locally, plus a round-up of 38 essential local restaurants, and the best vegan and vegetarian spots.

Could Shake Shack Be Coming To San Diego?
New York City-based cult burger empire Shake Shack recently expanded to the West Coast, opening the first of several planned locations in the Los Angeles area. Now, Eater is hearing rumors that the chain is actively looking at San Diego for more outposts for its blissful burger biz. 

Where to Find Vegan & Vegetarian Eats
Here's a selection of the best vegan and vegetarian eateries in San Diego, ranging from fast-food joints to Asian, Mexican and Italian restaurants and a hip cocktail bar featuring plant-based, meat-free and flavorful menus.

Eater's 38 Essential Restaurants in San Diego
The spring edition of Eater's list of the 38 essential restaurants in San Diego is out, and spans myriad cuisines, neighborhoods and price points to satisfy all your dining needs. This month, a traditional sushi restaurant and a friendly Mexican eatery join the ranks of the Eater 38. 

Prime Restaurant Space Available in Little Italy
A planned pedestrian park, "Piazza Famiglia," is under construction at India and Date streets in Little Italy. Scheduled to be completed in 2017, the project includes new apartment buildings and more than 13,000-square-feet of potential restaurant and commercial space. The developer will soon launch a proposal process open to prospective restaurateurs. 

High-End Korean Barbecue Planned For Kearny Mesa
A Convoy Street storefront is being remodeled to house Prime Grill, which will specialize in high-end Korean barbecue featuring a menu of premium meats cut in-house. Inspired by the popular restaurants in the Los Angeles community of Koreatown, Prime Grill could open by late April.

A 9-year-old girl discovered living in a backyard tool shed in Lakeside had been living there for about three weeks according to Sheriff’s Deputies. Her uncle, Ted Tavolazzi, said the girl was only in there for three days.

Tavolazzi said her mother had dropped her off at the home with her dad.

“My brother didn't have a place to stay,” Tavolazzi said. “That’s the only place he could keep her was with him in the backyard, she had a good place to live, a bed there, everything."

Deputies made the discovery during a probation check, which ended with eight adults under arrest.

Investigators say the bed was actually an old dirty couch. The small space had no plumbing and a single electrical outlet for a lamp. Deputies also found two guns and eight grams of meth inside as well.

"Oh I would consider that being homeless because there is no water, no toilets,” Karen Keith of the San Diego Rescue Mission said.

Keith runs the San Diego Rescue Mission emergency shelter for families - the recently renovated space fills up every night with more than 70 people, including an average of 20 to 30 kids.

"They want their kids with them but they're not focused on their children,” Keith said. “They're more focused on themselves and where to find housing and stuff like that, and the children are still neglected and the children are already developing mental illness at an early age because they're so withdrawn."

Deputies said the nine-year-old in this case appeared well nourished, content and articulate.

Sadly her circumstances highlight a grey area of homelessness, which according to Keith is more common in our county than most people think.

“Here they are sleeping in a tent in the riverbed, or sleeping in an alley, or staying at a McDonalds 24-7 trying to find a 24-7 place to have a warm place to be,” Keith told NBC 7.

In the girl’s situation - it was a filthy property described by neighbors as a well-known drug house.

Investigators told NBC 7 they've had 14 calls for service over the past year - mostly noise and disturbance complaints.

The girl is currently being held at the Polinsky Center.

Court records show more than a dozen cases over the past two decades tied to Joe Tavolazzi,the girl’s father, including criminal and civil cases dealing with lack of child support and domestic violence.

He will be arraigned on Monday on four felony charges including child endangerment.